Youth hacking ring at the center of cybercrime spree | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"An online community known as "the Com" linked to a string of prominent breaches is radicalizing young people into a life of online crime.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/youth-hacking-ring-at-the-center-of-cybercrime-spree\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Youth hacking ring at the center of cybercrime spree\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An online community known as "the Com" linked to a string of prominent breaches is radicalizing young people into a life of online crime.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/youth-hacking-ring-at-the-center-of-cybercrime-spree\/\"> <meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CyberScoop\"> <meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-09-22T17:55:00+00:00\"> 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href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=180\">\n<meta name=\"msapplication-TileImage\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=270\"> <\/head><body class=\"post-template-default single single-post postid-77230 single-format-standard\" id=\"readabilityBody\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/youth-hacking-ring-at-the-center-of-cybercrime-spree\/#main\" class=\"skip-to-content-link visually-hidden-focusable\">Skip to main content<\/a> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-desktop\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <main id=\"main\" role=\"main\" tabindex=\"-1\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-mobile\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"stickybar\" class=\"stickybar stickybar--newsletter js-stickybar\" readability=\"0.82\"> <button class=\"stickybar__close js-stickybar-close\" aria-controls=\"stickybar\"> <svg class=\"icon icon--close\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 22\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"m.822.518-.805.805L9.695 11 .017 20.678l.805.805 9.678-9.678 9.677 9.678.806-.805L11.305 11l9.678-9.677-.806-.805-9.677 9.677L.822.518Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"24.563461538462\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"30.309012875536\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/news\/threats\/cybercrime\/\"> <span>Cybercrime<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> An online community known as “the Com” linked to a string of prominent breaches is radicalizing young people into a life of online crime. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/youth-hacking-ring-at-the-center-of-cybercrime-spree.jpg?resize=640%2C426&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt=\"Caesars Palace\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/youth-hacking-ring-at-the-center-of-cybercrime-spree-2.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/youth-hacking-ring-at-the-center-of-cybercrime-spree-2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/youth-hacking-ring-at-the-center-of-cybercrime-spree-2.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/youth-hacking-ring-at-the-center-of-cybercrime-spree-2.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/youth-hacking-ring-at-the-center-of-cybercrime-spree-2.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/youth-hacking-ring-at-the-center-of-cybercrime-spree-2.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/youth-hacking-ring-at-the-center-of-cybercrime-spree-2.jpg?resize=252,168 252w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/youth-hacking-ring-at-the-center-of-cybercrime-spree-2.jpg?resize=506,337 506w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/youth-hacking-ring-at-the-center-of-cybercrime-spree-2.jpg?resize=1013,675 1013w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/youth-hacking-ring-at-the-center-of-cybercrime-spree-2.jpg?resize=1265,843 1265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1013px) 100vw, 1013px\"><figcaption> (Rudy Sulgan\/Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"50.124977076838\"><body readability=\"100.79977051061\"><\/p>\n<p>SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. \u2014 Over the past two years, a string of prominent cybersecurity breaches all have one thing in common: the involvement of a small online community of primarily young people dedicated to carrying out brash incursions. <\/p>\n<p>Speaking on the sidelines of the SentinelOne\u2019s second annual LABScon cyber threat intelligence conference, a team of researchers who have studied these online communities described to CyberScoop how an online community calling itself \u201cthe Com\u201d has carved out a key role for itself in the broader online criminal ecosystem \u2014 including by participating in recent attacks on Las Vegas resorts that crippled several prominent hotels and casinos. <\/p>\n<p>Speaking on condition of anonymity to describe the actions of a hacking group with a history of violence against its perceived enemies, the researchers say the emergence of the Com illustrates the need for policymakers and the cybersecurity community to take a much harder line against the youth-led cybercrime ecosystem. <\/p>\n<p>Teenagers and culprits in their early 20s are increasingly pulling off high-profile hacks using advanced skills and loudly bragging about their exploits in language filled with racism and misogyny, with the Com serving as a radicalizing environment for some of these cybercriminals.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cIf you take out all the stupid stuff and just look purely at the capabilities,\u201d the researcher said, \u201cthis is incredibly powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Policymakers and network defenders at some of the world\u2019s biggest companies tend to dismiss this cybercriminal ecosystem as a rung below the threat posed by state-backed hackers, but recent breaches are making clear that this new generation of hackers are highly capable. <\/p>\n<p>Individuals within one of the Com\u2019s subgroups, known as \u201cStar Fraud,\u201d were likely involved in the recent <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/las-vegas-mgm-caesars-cyber-attack\/\">high-profile Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts extortion attacks<\/a>, the researchers said, demonstrating the seriousness and danger and danger posed by the larger ecosystem. <\/p>\n<p>ALPHV, an established ransomware-as-a-service operation thought to be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bleepingcomputer.com\/news\/security\/alphv-blackcat-this-years-most-sophisticated-ransomware\/\">based in Russia<\/a> and linked to attacks on dozens of entities, claimed responsibility for Caesars and MGM attacks in a note posted to its website earlier this month. Experts had said the attacks were the work of a group tracked variously <a href=\"http:\/\/mandiant.com\/resources\/blog\/unc3944-sms-phishing-sim-swapping-ransomware\">as UNC 3944 or Scattered Spider<\/a>, which <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/yfWcs\">has been described as an affiliate working with<\/a> ALPHV made up of people in the United States and Britain who excel at social engineering.<\/p>\n<p>But the term Scattered Spider isn\u2019t accurate, the researchers at LABScon said, as it lumps the activities of multiple disparate and sometimes rival groups from within the Com ecosystem into one entity. The groups mimic and learn tactics from each other and may appear as the same thing, the researcher said, but they\u2019re different. A person claiming to be a member of Scattered Spider spoke with multiple news outlets, including CyberScoop, and claimed responsibility for the MGM hack but not Caesars, in what was an example of the fractious Com ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>The attacks emanating from the Com ecosystem go far beyond the Las Vegas resorts recently hit. Earlier this week, an executive at Okta, the identity management company, <a href=\"http:\/\/reuters.com\/technology\/hackers-who-breached-casino-giants-mgm-caesars-also-hit-3-other-firms-okta-says-2023-09-19\/\">told Reuters<\/a> that beyond Caesars and MGM, three additional clients of the firm had been hit by the same cluster of activity. In the last two years, major corporations ranging from Nvidia to Samsung to Microsoft <a href=\"http:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/tag\/lapsus\/\">have all been targeted<\/a> by <a href=\"http:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/british-teen-arrested-in-hacking-case\/\">a group known as Lapsus$<\/a>, some of whose members emerged from the Com ecosystem, the researcher said. <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2023-08\/Review%20Of%20The%20Attacks%20Associated%20with%20Lapsus%24%20And%20Related%20Threat%20Groups%20Executive%20Summary_508c.pdf\">August 2023 Cyber Safety Review Board report<\/a> on Lapsus$ recommended that Congress explore funding juvenile cybercrime prevention programs as part of a \u201cwhole-of-society\u201d approach to address youth cybercrime.<\/p>\n<p>The FBI has been involved in multiple investigations involving people associated with the Com for alleged violent activity, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/k7zbma\/the-comm-acg-group-linked-to-nationwide-swatting\">Vice reported in May<\/a>. In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/23830461-williams_complaint\">a May 2023 affidavit<\/a>, an FBI agent described the Com as a \u201cgroup of cyber-criminal actors\u201d that is \u201cgeographically diverse\u201d and organizes in various subgroups to \u201cengage in various types of criminal activity to include cyber intrusions, SIM swapping, cryptocurrency theft, commissioning real life violence, and Swatting,\u201d the practice of sending armed emergency response teams to a victim\u2019s location under false pretenses.<\/p>\n<p>Cybersecurity firms have described this grouping of online cybercriminals as highly skilled in social engineering, particularly because they count among their members a large number of native English speakers who are adept at calling IT help desks and convincing technicians to hand over corporate credentials. <\/p>\n<p>The researchers who presented at LabsCON cautioned that these young cybercriminals are now working together with global ransomware syndicates, with track records of extortions around the world and tens of millions of dollars in ransoms paid. <\/p>\n<p>The role of the Com in inducting these young hackers into a life of crime is akin to the well-documented issue of how toxic online communities can radicalize children, one of the researchers said. \u201cThe radicalization is cybercrime and being the worst human being you possibly be,\u201d the researcher said.<\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"1.2242152466368\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"8\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/youth-hacking-ring-at-the-center-of-cybercrime-spree-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"AJ Vicens\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by AJ Vicens<\/h4>\n<p> AJ covers nation-state threats and cybercrime. He was previously a reporter at Mother Jones. Get in touch via Signal\/WhatsApp: (810-206-9411). <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<section class=\"latest-podcasts\">\n<h2 class=\"latest-podcasts__title\"> Latest Podcasts\t<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"top-categories\">\n<div class=\"top-categories__container\">\n<h3 class=\"top-categories__category-title\">Technology<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"top-categories__container\">\n<h3 class=\"top-categories__category-title\">Government<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/main> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--bottom \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"interstitial\" class=\"welcome__container\"> <button id=\"close-modal-1\" class=\"welcome__clickable_area\"><\/button> <\/p>\n<div class=\"welcome__ad_wrapper\">\n<p> <button id=\"close-modal-3\" class=\"welcome__continue-button\">Continue to CyberScoop<\/button> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>   <\/body> <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/youth-hacking-ring-at-the-center-of-cybercrime-spree\/\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Youth hacking ring at the center of cybercrime spree |<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[951,282,983,952,46,984],"tags":[956,286,985,957,54,986],"class_list":["post-1761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ceasars-palace","category-cybercrime","category-lapsus","category-mgm","category-ransomware","category-the-com","tag-ceasars-palace","tag-cybercrime","tag-lapsus","tag-mgm","tag-ransomware","tag-the-com"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","chromenews-featured":"","chromenews-large":"","chromenews-medium":""},"author_info":{"display_name":"Cyber Scoop","author_link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/author\/cyberscoop\/"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/ceasars-palace\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Ceasars Palace<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/cybercrime\/\" rel=\"category tag\">cybercrime<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/lapsus\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Lapsus$<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/mgm\/\" rel=\"category tag\">MGM<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/ransomware\/\" rel=\"category tag\">ransomware<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/the-com\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The Com<\/a>","tag_info":"The Com","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1761\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

{"id":1761,"date":"2023-09-22T17:55:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-22T17:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=77230"},"modified":"2023-09-22T17:55:00","modified_gmt":"2023-09-22T17:55:00","slug":"youth-hacking-ring-at-the-center-of-cybercrime-spree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2023\/09\/22\/youth-hacking-ring-at-the-center-of-cybercrime-spree\/","title":{"rendered":"Youth hacking ring at the center of cybercrime spree"},"content":{"rendered":"